Where it all begins: The First Souvlatzidiko, 100 Years On
The man who laid the foundations for Greece’s national street food.
The first souvlatzidiko (souvlaki joint).
In today's delivery...
Souvlaki & Kebab terminology & brief history
We go to the first souvlatzidiko in Greece
Gyros vs döner & brief history
The first souvlatzidiko in Greece opened in 1924, changing the history of Greek street food forever. Today, you’ll learn what that means and hear from the man whose grandfather started it all…
In order to understand his impact, let’s take a look at what all the words mean.
Souvlaki & Kebab Terminology
Souvlaki or Kebab?
Kebab, deriving from the Persian word kabāb, means burnt or charred. It is a term that has been adopted by Turks, Arabs, and much of the world. It’s generally used in those languages, and now in English, broadly referring to many things in that category of skewered meat (cooked over coals).
In Greece, however, kebab or kebap means something more specific: minced (lamb and/or beef), cooked on a skewer. It’s different to souvlaki, which means small skewer of cubed meat (usually pork).
Ergo, souvlatzidiko means souvlaki joint, and kebabtzidiko means kebab joint.
That distinction exists because, when (Greek) refugees came to Greece with a minced meat patty that they called kebab in the 1920s, the Greeks adopted the same term that those refugees used to describe it.
The below image is what Greeks are talking about when they say kebab or kebap. While, these days, it tends to be made of lamb and beef (more specifically, veal), it was first made of mutton.
‘Kebab’ in Athens. Souvlakination at Thanasis, mentioned below.
In Athens, souvlaki is also used more loosely to describe what, in English, might be more clearly described as a souvlaki ‘wrap’ (for lack of a better descriptor). It’s also called tylichto in southern Greece or sometimes sandwich in northern Greece. There were other terms for it in ancient times, and also now in modern times, but more on that next time…
Outside of Athens and, by definition, souvlaki means small skewer. Mention souvlaki to a Greek, and they will know you are talking about small skewers of grilled pork. The term from the plain souvlakia (not the wrap) in Athens is kalamaki. More on this next time too.
A Brief History of Souvlakia / Kebabs
In the 1970s, an archaeologist uncovered the earliest evidence of humans cooking skewered meat over coals: from 17th Century BC modern-day Greece. The tradition survived Byzantium and Ottoman rule, when street vendors sold souvlakia in Constantinople. But it’s not until the Middle Ages that the word kebab first appeared in writing. Most writers incorrectly trace the history of skewered meat back to this, failing to realise that the ancient Greeks had a different word for it entirely, which we’ll talk about in another piece soon.
As for the thing Greeks call kebab, based on what is known in Turkey as Adana, its introduction to Greece in the 20th Century is only just a footnote in the story of that ancient tradition, which spans centuries, borders and identities.
It’s a tradition that has travelled with people, and continuously adapted and developed over time. Many of the original and oldest souvlatzidika in Athens begin with a similar story, of a father or grandfather moving to Athens – either from Constantinople, Anatolia, or the Middle East – and making ends meet by sharing the food they loved with their new neighbourhood. In fact, this is the story of kebab shops, the world over. Many tend to begin with a refugee.
Kebab, like gyros, features in Greek street food today thanks to immigrants and refugees. What many don’t realise is that the origins of our beloved souvlaki (in pita) begin with the same man who introduced kebab to Greece. You’ll see why shortly.
“Gyros – or döner, as everyone called it at the time – didn’t come until later, from the 1950s.”
To Aigyptiakon, Petrou Ralli 168, Nikaia 184 54, Greece. ‘Odos 8’ refers to the original site around the corner.
When did the First Souvlatzidiko Open?
One man in particular played a crucial role in developing Greece’s street food culture and, in a way, reminding the nation of its ancient tradition. Nobody is arguing that Greeks didn’t eat meat beforehand. But the souvlatzidiko or souvlaki joint, as we know it today, first appeared in 1924.
Thanks to a man who named himself Isaak Meraklidis.
Not only did he introduce the concept of the ‘kebab’ to Greece, he’s also responsible for establishing the concept of what is known today as the traditional Greek souvlaki in pita.
Born Misak Anispikian, he was an Armenian who fled troubles in Adana, Turkey (which is known for its eponymous kebab), and sought refuge in Greece. Before settling in Greece permanently, he spent a brief period in Cairo, Egypt, where the idea came to him to introduce the ‘kebab’ to Greece. On his return to Athens, he rebranded himself as Isaak Meraklidis from Egypt, and opened To Aigyptiakon (the Egyptian). 2024 marks its centenary (100 years).
Meraklidis’ grandson (who also carries the name Misak Anispikian) still holds the first souvlatzidiko standing to this day, a couple hundred metres away from the original building in Nikaia. There you’ll find kebab, souvlakia, lahmacun, yaourtlou and falafel, on a menu that reflects the eclectic heritage of the tradition we all consider, and have adopted and adapted, as our own. Although that menu looks more oriental than what you’ll find in your typical authentic Greek souvlatzidiko, To Aigyptiakon is where the tradition as we know it begins.
Kebab (above) and a chicken souvlaki (below) at To Aigyptiakon. Somehow, it’s tastier and more succulent than you can imagine. The most astonishing thing about it? There are no spices: it’s pure meat and salt.
“Traditionally, a pita of souvlaki only consisted of the meat, the pita, tomatoes, onions and oregano. No tzatziki, and certainly no chips or French fries.”
We had the privilege of speaking to Meraklidis’ grandson, Misak. All of Athens, he notes, travelled to eat at To Aigyptiakon. His grandfather’s interpretation of the kebab became an instant hit as soon as it opened. Its uniqueness and, allegedly, the smell, stopped Athenians in their tracks.
Conveniently, the area was the hotspot for rembetadika and bouzoukadika – the music venues of 20th Century Athens. The most famous performers of the day (e.g. Stratos Dionisiou, Stelios Kazantzidis, Vasilis Tsitsanis, Marika Ninou, and Melina Merkouri, who worked on the same road) would stop by for grandfather Isaak’s kebab. Even Brazilian footballing icon Pelé visited after a game between the Brazilian club Santos and Olympiacos in 1961, and left his jersey at the shop. Another sporting legend, Franz Beckenbauer, celebrated a surprise birthday party there, organised by his teammates.
The original site of To Aigyptiakon in Nikaia. The sign reads "'Beer & Grill' | Shish Kebap - Souvlaki | Isaak Meraklidis"
The Birth of the Traditional Greek Souvlaki
Meraklidis’ impact and legacy cannot be ignored. Without him, we probably would not have what is today known as the Greek pita bread. Working together with a baker, Meraklidis perfected his recipe for the pita bread itself. It is with this he replaced the Arabic flatbread served with kebab elsewhere, and formed what is now the basis of the archetypal Greek souvlaki wrap, or tylichto (or sandwich, if you’re from Thessaloniki). Most pita bread producers claim to have developed the recipe later, under the guidance of Italian military forces during the Second World War, but testimonies suggest the first appearance of the Greek pita came before, with Meraklidis’ own take on Arabic flatbreads.
Traditionally, the tylichto only consisted of the meat, the pita, tomatoes, onions and oregano. No tzatziki, and certainly no chips/French fries. The tradition of souvlaki served with bread is not a new one and, unsurprisingly, dates as far back to ancient Greece. But the first conception of the traditional Greek pita of souvlaki, with the above ingredients, begins in the 20th Century with Meraklidis. Without him, our understanding of souvlakia today may well be different.
Kebab tylichto (wrap) at Tomas Kebap in Neos Kosmos.
“The idea of selling kalamakia was a trend that likely travelled to Athens from places like the port of Rio-Antirrio, near Patras.”
Given the immediate success of To Aigypitakon, Meraklidis swiftly opened a second branch in the centre of Athens, in Monastiraki – which marks the epicentre of Athens’ souvlaki scene today. That, too, is likely thanks to Meraklidis’ impact: he taught and trained the men behind Thanasis, Mpairaktaris and Savvas – the original big names in Athens’ souvlaki scene – who have risen to world fame for continuing the tradition today. Taste Atlas, for example, recognises Thanasis as the 42nd ‘Most Legendary Restaurant’ in the world. In 1966, Thanasis first opened in partnership with Meraklidis.
Let’s take Savvas: you’ll notice that their story begins with Meraklidis and To Aigyptiakon on their website. Not only did Savvas work for Meraklidis, he also married his daughter; the two men worked together for many years. As for Mpairaktaris, the other ‘big name’? He also went into partnership with Meraklidis at the Monastiraki branch of To Aigyptiakon, and later went on to own the shop (which is still in his name today).
The original site of To Aigyptiakon was passed down to Meraklidis’ son, Setrak, and is now in the hands of his grandson, Misak and his partner Azniv. Misak’s son (also named Setrak, after his grandfather) also helps run the shop.
You can find Isaak Meraklidis’ grandson, Misak (left), keeping Greece’s first souvlatzidiko alive at To Aigyptiakon. Here he is pictured with his son, Setrak (named after his grandfather, and Meraklidis son).
Souvlatzidika Today
Those who think of souvlatzidika today will likely think of souvlakia, or kalamakia (as your simple souvlaki on a skewer is called in southern Greece), and gyros.
But these staples of today’s classic souvlatzidiko menu only began to appear in Athens in the 1950s, after Meraklidis’ story begins. What better source of information do we have than one of the men behind one of the first, and oldest, souvlatzidika in Athens?
Kebab at Thanasis, a protégé of Meraklidis (pork souvlaki above). Notably, noticeably and unsurprisingly reminiscent of the kebab at To Aigyptiakon.
Thanasis was his co-founder and cousin, but Christos Rampos, who first earned his stripes working for Meraklidis at To Aigyptiakon, recalls that it wasn’t until the 1950s that somebody first started selling kalamakia in Athens. At the same time, kalamakia were becoming popular in a town called Livadeia.
The testimonies of Rampos and others can be found in the seminal book by journalists Tasos Brekoulakis and Marina Petridou: Souvlaki.
When were kalamakia first sold in Greece?
The idea of selling kalamakia was a trend that likely travelled to Athens from places like the port of Rio-Antirrio, near Patras, where the now iconic bridge sits between the Peloponnese and central Greece.
Although Meraklidis started a tradition with his kebab, kalamakia were about to become the national street food of the 1960s, and they more closely resembled the kind of thing that you’d have found in the ancient world.
Are Gyros and Döner the same?
Not too long after kalamakia, Rampos recalls that döner entered Athens, after Greek refugees brought the Ottoman tradition with them to Greece. It didn’t last too long: a law imposed by the Greek Junta in the 1970s banned the use of minced meat, and therefore döner, due to hygiene reasons.
This proved a pivotal moment in Greek street food history, de facto enforcing the use of pork meat, popularising kalamakia over kebab, and paving the way for the birth of the Hellenic iteration of döner: gyros.
Although it’s widely acknowledged by journalists, food historians, chefs, and souvlitzides of the time, that döner first arrived with the wave of refugees who fled to Greece from Constantinople and Smyrna in the 1920s, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of gyros actually being sold in Athens until the 1950s onwards. Traditionally, döner is associated with lamb that is marinated and layered with fat on a vertical spit, and understood to be the 19th Century iteration of what many Turks call çag kebab (horizontal spit), which researchers say dates it back further to the 16th Century. As Marina Petridou and Tasos Brekoulakis point out in their most recent work (see Acknowledgements below), the first record of döner cooked vertically is in Smyrna in 1842.
Isaak Meraklidis (left) at To Aigyptiakon in the 1960s.
Souvlakination’s conversation with Meraklidis grandson, Misak, confirms Rampos’ account: “Gyros – or döner, as everyone called it at the time – didn’t arrive [in Athens] until later, in the 1950s. It wasn’t until the Junta banned the use of minced meat [and thus the kind of döner that was most popular in Greece] in the 1970s that Greeks started to use larger chunks of [pork] meat and called it gyros.”
And what about the iconic picture of Isaak Meraklidis, alongside a colleague carving döner with a pipe in his mouth? “It was probably around 1955 that To Aigyptiakon started making döner. On charcoal! Charcoal was used to make it at the time,” he is keen to point out.
Gyros vs Döner: What’s the difference between Gyros and Döner?
Now, those who work in souvlatzidika and gyradika (gyros joint) will note the nuances between the two today: mainly that gyros is made of pork (or chicken as the alternative), while döner remains largely a beef and/or lamb product.
It’s a useful distinction for that reason, and one that is particularly obvious in Greece, where ντονέρ (döner) tends to refer to the beef/lamb alternative or even the minced lamb dish that preceded gyros (although you may also see it referred to as gyros too).
Gyros in Thessaloniki.
Kebabtzidika in Athens
Tomas is another Armenian kebabtzi whose story is similar to Meraklidis (albeit a few decades later). He too learned the trade from one of Meraklidis’ apprentices, Savvas in Monastiraki, before opening shop in the refugee neighbourhood of Neos Kosmos. You can find him and his son Marios at Tomas Kebap, Mitrou Sarkoudinou 49. Hear his sermon about not adding spices to his famous kebab here.
Kebab is often overlooked as a foreign contribution to Greek cuisine. In reality, it’s what our understanding of Greek street food begins with, and it’s the most standard choice of meat for the tylichto in Athens, with it’s other iterations, like bifteki (beef patty) and soutzouki (spiced beef sausage).
Isaak Meraklidis is a name we ought to respect and remember. Greek cuisine altogether would look a little different without him.
📍 To Aigyptiakon, Petrou Ralli 168, Nikaia 184 54, Greece 🇬🇷
Acknowledgements
Firstly, thank you to To Aigyptiakon, for Misak and his son Setrak for greeting us (quite literally) with open arms, and for keeping their family trade and our nation’s tradition alive. Aside from Mr Misak himself, who took the time to talk to Souvlakination, credit is due to:
Marina Petridou and Tasos Brekoulakis, the authors of the first ever books about souvlaki: Souvlaki: A gastronomic journey from Homer’s Epics to contemporary street food, Marina Petridou & Tasos Brekoulakis (2022), & Souvlaki in Athens: a story of 100 years (2 Feb 2025).
Their respective publications, Gastronomos and LiFO, for populating the internet with the facts (albeit in Greek),
All of you for reading this far. Say hello over on Instagram!